Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
3 , July 1996
Abstract - For evaluating the lightning performance of exceeded, and its partial breakdown occurs. Then, the
transmission lines by computer simulation, the accurate conductor is surrounded by a corona-type discharge pattern.
modelling of tower footing is very important. In particular, the The ionized area occupies a confined space in which the
decrease of the earth resistance observed for high values of the conductivity becomes much greater than in the rest of the
current flowing from the tower to earth has to be considered.
soil. In this situation, the ground electrodes display a non-
In this paper, different modelling approaches allowing to take
into accouut the non-linear behaviour of the tower footing are linear transient behaviour and present a lower resistance to
overviewed, and a uew model to describe the soil ionization ground.
process is presented. The proposed model corresponds to It is considered that the decrease of the tower footing
considering the ionized soil region as an equifield shell. In resistance, under lightning conditions, has to be taken into
order to represent the ionization phenomena, the values o f the account in order to optimize the design of the tower earthing
resistivity on the ionized region are decreased according to the [l], and in order to obtain inore accurate results when the
local current density, and the electric field is kept at a critical lightning performance of transmission lines is evaluated by
value. Deionization of the soil is also taken into account. computer simulation [2][ 3 ] .
Simulation results are presented, and compared to the
Different models have been developed to describe the soil
published results of experimental tests.
ionization process, and simulation results have been
I. INTRODUCTION compared to measured values. Basically, the different models
succeed in representing the decrease of the earth electrode
On most electric energy systems, lightning is the main resistance by considering either the decrease of the earth
cause of unscheduled supply interruptions. Computer resistivity, or by assuming an increase of the earth electrode
simulation is an important tool for evaluating the lightning effective size. Therefore, the different models can be
perforinance of transmission lines, and the adequate classified as following either a variable soil resistivity
modelling techniques for the different system's components approach, or a variable electrode geometry approach. The
have to be established. In particular, it has been emphazised most representative soil ionization models are summarized
by different authors that the predicted lightning in the present paper, and the corresponding values of the
backflashover rates are very sensitive to the resistances electric field in the ionized region are investigated. The
ascribed to the tower footings. In particular, the soil viability of these values is discussed in the light of the
resistivity is a dominant factor for the evaluation of physics of the soil ionization, and an alternative model is
grounding system parameters. proposed following a variable soil resistivity approach
If large current densities flow from the tower footing into
11. BACKGROUND
the soil, the critical field strength of the soil can be
For including the soil ionization phenomena 111
modelling an earth electrode, two main approaches have
been followed
il The Variable Geometry Approach
Different authors model a gwen electrode embedded in
an ionized soil as an electrode of increased dimensions
embedded in a non-ionized soil [4-71 Therefore, this
This paper was presented at the 1995 ESMO Conference approach corresponds to considering the soil resistivity
held in Columbus, Ohio, October 29-November 3; 1995. unchanged, and a lower resistance to ground is obtained by
>
from being in accordance with the physics of the soil field, this cannot be controlled inside the ionization region.
ionization phenomena. In the results presented in fig. 3 , it can be noticed that the
ro
electric field at the electrode surface shows values much
*E higher than the critical field.
-g 2.0
< :: i; rcm 1 $
1
6 1.5
.:._-..-
-.-.::.
, I
9
.s
R
1.0
.j 0.5
Current [A]
3 0.30
1
0.25
3 0.20 Fig. 3 Electric field at the electrode surface versus current
2 intensity, obtained with Liew and Daweniza model.
d 0.15
+
,E
0.10
0.05 111. THE EQUlFIELD MODEL
# 0.00
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 Following a variable resistivity approach, a new
ionization model was developed. It corresponds to assuming
Current [A] that the critical value of the electric field is never exceeded,
and therefore considers that, when ionization occurs, the
area surrounding the electrode is an equifield region. This
Fig. 2 Effective radius versus current intensity. can be noticed in figure 4 where the electric field at the
electrode surface is presented, for the same conditions as
B. The Variable Resistivity Approach
above.
In this approach, the decrease of the earth electrode Using the methodology developed by Liew and
resistance for high values of the current is explained by the Darveniza, the region surrounding the earth electrode is
decrease of the soil resistivity in the region surrounding the divided into small shells, with uniform thickness dr. These
1608
shells are defined by equipotential surfaces, using cylinder- In this case a 3.5 kA/5 ps116.5 ps double-exponential
hemisphere concept, figure 1. As dr is small compared to the current was injected into a single driven rod with 1 = 0.61 m,
conductor length, the earth current flowing out from the r, = 0.075 m. The electrode is buried in a sand and gravel
shell surface can be assumed to flow radially. mix soil with the characteristics:
The soil is homogeneous and isotropic and has a constant po = 50 L2m E, = 1.1 kV/cm 71 = 4.5 ps
resistivity po as long as the electric field around the electrode
remains below the soil critical breakdown field E,. In figures 5-7 the simulation results are presented. These
As the surge current I injected into the ground electrode results are in good agreement with the experimental test
increases, the electric field E in the vicinity of the electrode refered above and published in [ 3 ] .
surface eventually exceeds the critical value and soil
breakdown occurs. The resistivity pk of a elemental shell k
I
inside the ionized region decays, following the equation:
E
--
G
30
25
20
pk = L A k
I 15
being& the equipotential surface area of the shell k. .2 10
Beyond ionization zone, the resistivity of the soil remains
at its nominal value po. I
2 5 I
0 1 I I I
As the current decreases from its crest value, the region 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
where the electric field is below the critical value -
deionization zone - the resistivity of each shell recovers to Current [A]
the nominal value, following the equation: ~
3
e 1.2
1.0 0 10 20 30 40
2
& 0.8 time [ps]
2
.2 0.6
7 0.4
.% 0.2 Fig. 6 Impulse resistance as a function of time, obtained with the
3 0.0 proposed new model.
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
VI. REFERENCES